Jose Mourinho has almost figured out Chelsea masterplan

Whilst Mourinho and the rest of the Chelsea band wagon bask in embarrassment at conceding via the one and only Frank Lampard against Manchester City at the Etihad, one must take a moment of reflection upon the opening five games of the season.

Chelsea have glided through the first five fixtures of their campaign with ease, acquiring a record that remains without defeat, with 4 wins and a single draw. City were inevitably going to be the team to cause an end to Chelsea's winning streak as they put up a stellar performance against the Londoners and withheld a victory from them.

Impressive

With the impressive form that the Blues have produced in the opening games, it is somewhat easy to overlook issues that have festered in Chelsea's game and difficulties that Mourinho mustn't overlook, if consistency is going to be achieved by the club and thus claim the title so many have so prominently predicted the London club to claim.

Last season, where it was a lack of a key striker figure being the stumbling block to title success, Chelsea came out of the first five games with three wins, a draw and a loss; a total of 10 points earned. They have scored, so far, 16 goals (7 of which gained by the now infamous Diego Costa) and conceded 7. A goal difference of +9.

Goals

The key difference between then and now is that Chelsea scored only 6 goals out of 5 games and conceded just 2, keeping 4 clean sheets; a goal difference of +4.

The evidence shows clearly the change in approach Mourinho has had from that of defensive minded play that promotes a solidity at the back and counter- attacking play, as opposed to the heavy pressure of Chelsea through central possession and and wing- based influence.

Options

Of course this is a change for the better but the key lies within a balance. Mourinho has resorted to committing a large amount of resource to attacking play with Fabregas, as a central midfielder, and Ivanovic both launching forwards instead of providing a defensive lock on play.

So with players committing to attack more often than not, Mourinho must remain steadfast in his philosophies of work rate and off the ball pressure in order to keep his side from being exploited for goals.

Capabilities

Mourinho's lack of confidence in his sides defensive capabilities has been shown clearly by the approach he had to the City game. He remained keen to keep his side playing counter attacking football which, although proved somewhat successful, shows the discomfort he has in simply letting his side play an open game.

Mourinho must get the perfect balance for his team in order to really form consistency and come out with the number one prize.

Having said that though, with the entertainment and pleasure of watching Chelsea, from a neutral perspective in particular, I doubt anyone is complaining, just yet.

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